On the evening of March 23, 2024, what initially appeared to be a burglary that ended in tragedy at a Brush Prairie, Washington, home was in fact the culmination of a sinister plot. Lindy Jones Rummell, a 60-year-old White/Caucasian female, was found dead in her residence from multiple gunshot wounds. Her husband, James Rummell, and two friends reported the discovery to authorities, claiming they arrived to find her deceased and that the family's truck had been stolen, suggesting a home
invasion gone horribly wrong.
As the Clark County Sheriff's Office began their investigation into the homicide, the narrative of a random burglary quickly unraveled. The day after Lindy's death, detectives received a crucial tip that led them to Eugene, Oregon, and a man named Darrell Riley, 55. The stolen truck was soon located in a rural part of Benton County, Oregon, deliberately set on fire in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence. Investigators learned that Riley was an acquaintance of James Rummell, and evidence suggested James had driven to Eugene to pick Riley up and bring him back to Clark County just before the murder.
The investigation pivoted to a murder-for-hire scheme, with James Rummell at the center. Authorities allege that he, facing financial desperation and behind on mortgage and car payments, solicited his former prison acquaintance, Darrell Riley, to kill his wife. The agreed-upon price was reportedly $35,000, to be paid from Lindy's life insurance policy. Court documents suggest the plan had been in motion for about ten months.
James Rummell was arrested, first on charges of making false statements to a public servant, and then for his role as an accomplice to first-degree murder and burglary. Darrell Riley was apprehended in Oregon and held on a warrant for first-degree murder. Prosecutors have since charged James Rummell with aggravated first-degree murder and solicitation to commit murder. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Riley remains the primary suspect in carrying out the killing and awaits extradition to Washington to face charges.
